Rhetorics
by Ink On Paper
Summary: A study into Ziva David based around the concepts of ethos, logos, and pathos . . . .
1. ETHOS

ETHOS

For all extensive purposes, she is bound by a code of ethics that she, more or less, abides by. She does not interrogate children, unless there is sufficient evidence suggesting their major involvement in a true atrocity. Nor does she implement her . . . . _tactical_ methods of persuasion against innocents for the simple gain of the guilty's compliance. She did lie, does lie, and will continue to lie as long as necessary - and unless divulging the truth is of the utmost importance, she will consciously withhold information. She does strive for justice, but in every sense of the word, and while she does respect the preservation of life, she is unafraid in solving a matter with a bullet.

She has never been a pacifist, always unwilling to submissively sit on the sidelines when she could be assisting in a worthy cause. And while violence shall never be the answer, she has seen places in 'peace time' and finds that aggression is a suitable substitution for fruitless passiveness.

And though the moral laws keep her anchored, they are not definite and since she is perfectly capable of picking virtually any physical lock, she is equally skilled in escaping her principals. She was raised on relatively just standards, and some of these she kept into her adult life, while others she disposed of. She has gathered variations of right and wrong, become influenced by others' opinions on what is genuinely good and what is innately evil, arriving at the general conclusion that the line dividing the two is fine and blurry, the entirety more than black and white and predominately many shades of grey. And throughout her adulthood, she has adopted many ethical codes, bending some aspects and revising others, dispensing of some entirely when they either became impractical or she simply had broken it so many times that it had become irrelevant.

So contrary to popular belief, she does not act irrationally, nor does she not consider all her options. She does have a moral code, perhaps a slightly unorthodox one, that does have exceptions, but ethical all the same. And she does pride herself on her beliefs, they give her something to live, and fight, for, and she does try to adhere to them whenever she can . . . .


	2. LOGOS

**A/N: A continuation of the Rhetorics with 'Logos' or 'Logic.' And for anyone reading this who is also following my story, What Is Missing, I hope to have that updated tomorrow evening. Anyway, reviews are appreciated, and I hope you enjoy, Kit.**

**DISCLAIMER: And I continue to own absolutely _nothing_.**

LOGOS

The human race was prone to illogic dating back to the fatal mistakes made at the dawn of time, subjecting consequential generations to a world equivalent to a modern Eden, a utopia incognito polluted with temptations and Satan's whispered spells. . . .

She was highly educated in actuality, granted she used her common sense and street smarts more often. She was incredibly well read, tackling classic literature that ranged from Hemmingway to Twain, toward more recent masterpieces including the works Patterson and Sparks. _Moby Dick _was of her favorites, as was _Pride and Prejudice_. She did not officially attend a facility of higher education, but she was well traveled, speaking nearly a dozen languages (only seven fluently), walking amongst people drastically different than her, learning and gathering knowledge of alternate ways, means of living, traditions . . . .

She was trained in the art -if it is considered as such- of assassination, taking the lives of people known to be evil all in sake of homeland and justice. She was aware of several varying forms of torture that she wasn't afraid to implement when necessary. She learnt deception at an early age and was brought up upon deep wells of concealed secrets.

Taking in the life of another being is an evil and injustice toward nature itself, but it was never commenced lightly. She was part of a world that was kill or be killed, and being killed was unacceptable. She was a vital link in the chain that kept the terrorists at bay, though there were many others waiting to take her place in the fence. . . . .

She knows her duties and she knows the cost and she is willing to pay for whatever it takes to make the world safer, to avenge the deaths of thousands, to end the reign of Satan. . . . Because, after all, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to nothing -and while she isn't wholly good, nor is she a man, she is an able soldier and will be damned if she does nothing.


	3. PATHOS

**A/N: And now we have pathos, emotions. So I hope you enjoy this piece too. I don't think I will expand on this further as I have another multi-chapter piece I am working on. However, I am strongly considering doing a Rhetorics for Tony. Anywho, review if you like, Kit.**

PATHOS

She learned at an early age that emotions were a burden. Tears made you weak, love was a possible liability, feeling anything at all could cloud judgment, confuse the senses. Allow yourself to feel, to sympathize, empathize, even try to understand and you die. So she locked up all her sadness, all her fears, all her love in the safe, impermeable confines of her heart and buried the key. And when she lost that key it no longer mattered, for anger and hatred and destruction had taken root and soon overwhelmed her, consumed her entirely.

She has been called cold, considered heartless, deemed inhuman, robotic, an ice queen. But she cannot be blamed for this because this was all she had ever known. She has seen what cold and heartless and inhumanity is and it isn't her, and she has seen where love and trust and happiness lead and it isn't her either. Opt for neutrality, simplicity, nothingness, numbness. Because they can't use what isn't there. Because she couldn't feel what is no longer so. Because it is safer that way. Less messy.

And it kept people away. Far far away. Because she was not stable. Her emotions were not there and anger and hatred and destruction are light and thin and they definitely are incapable of filling up the empty voids. Voids, vortex, black hole. So she was unstable, waiting for the catalyst to trigger her detonation. . . .

But now she has been handed a spare key. And now she knows love and trust and happiness are good things that make her stronger and better. For love can conquer all evils, or so is her impression. Because now people care about her, for her. And she is wanted and safe. And so she is happy.

For someone loves her despite her grievous faults, forgives her trespasses when she should be condemned. So love is contagious and it has infected her, ironically poisoning the poison weeds in her chest, allowing her dusty heart to flutter back to life and pulse with happy things like joy and sad things too. She was never allowed this before, to feel these foreign concepts, to nurture human nature.

And so they let her in, bathing her in love, reviving her dead heart, thawing the permafrost, and she let them in. And she feels and loves and breaths. And her hearts beats and thrives and family is all around. Love is all around.

And emotions are powerful and manipulative things that can be used and twisted. But they can spur on courageous acts, foolish acts, like nearly drowning in an hourglass for the sake of a lost soul, lost at sea. And then love triumphs over evil and hatred and destruction. Or that is what she hopes. Because hope is permitted now. And hope, she found, is a beautiful thing.


End file.
